(Columbia) At Pope Davis Tire Store, the tires look more or less the same. It's what they put in them that makes them different.
?Because it's so new, folks are still kind of unaware of what's in their tires,? said General Manager James Roberts.
The answer is on the air cap. Only, in this case the green cap tells you it's not air. It's nitrogen.
?It's like, wait a minute, why are you putting nitrogen in these tires?? is a reaction James says he often gets from customers. ?Then we give them the benefits of why."
He says they've offered nitrogen tire fillings for two years, but he believes people are still largely unaware of the new service. But customer Doug Roberts is on board, and says he might never go back.
?You don't have to check the air pressure as much,? said Doug. ?It's real good, because most people don't check anyway."
James says that's where nitrogen is an improvement over the normal air that's put into tires. It's a thicker, meaning it stays inflated longer and deflates slower if punctured by something.
?All tires are porous, they're going to leak,? said James Roberts. ?It's gonna take at least six months for it to leak down (with nitrogen fillings).?
And ultimately, that can help save gas.
?You're actually gonna save about, in a years time, seven percent."
It's right about the time James Roberts tells his customers that, when they tell him to fill it up with the non-oxygen stuff.
Roberts says his company is the only one in the Midlands that currently offers nitrogen tire fillings. They charge about $5 per tire for the service.
8/23/2006 2:20:12 PM
